Friday Rant

Okay. Happy Friday and all. But what is it with media continually pushing unwanted content down our throats (and I'm not talking about American Idol)?

The content I'm talking about is women's sports.

You can't watch an NBA game without hearing about the floundering WNBA. How long is David Stern going to subsidize this boring league? Does he have a daughter coming of age who wants to be a professional basketball player?

Now I don't have kids, but let's be clear. I think being a student-athlete is great. I was one (for a while) and I think it's an excellent experience for college-aged men and women. I don't get the Nike ads for women that get all over this "empowerment" thing, but that's fine.

What I don't like is when media tries to ram unwanted content down our throats like it's good for us. Um, I'm sorry. Women's sports on TV or hidden under the guise of football news in the Detroit News e-mail links? NOT good for us. The whole point of the Internet and new media is that the consumer can CHOOSE the content he or she wants to see/read. Personally, I don't want to see women's sports. Unfortunately for those women trying to make a living as professional athletes, the vast majority of media viewers don't either.

Now I already know what many would say -- show the broadcast and print or e-mail the articles to a wider audience and give it time. People will start to watch and gain more appreciation for women's sports. Ya think? Take a look at WNBA ratings or attendance figures and get back to me on that one.

The media need to stop treating women's sports like a charity and quit trying to force us to like something we're not going to like. How is that good business??